Quick-acting frame-clamping machine



0. BERGSTROM. QUICK ACTING FRAME C LAMPING MACHINE.

APPLICATIQN FILED OCT. 13, 1919.

Patented June 8, 1920. I

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

0. BERGSTROM. QUICK ACTING FRAME CLAMPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 1 3, 1919. v

Patented June 8, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

0. BERGSTROM.

QUICK ACTING FRAME CLAMPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 13. 1919.

1,342,8 9 1 Patented June 8, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR BERGSTROM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HANDY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

QUICK-ACTING FRAME-CLAMPING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 8, 1920.

Application filed October 13, 1919. Serial No. 330,171.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Oscar: BERGSTROM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Quick-Acting Frame-Clamping Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention, as its title indicates, is a mechanism for quickly getting hold of a frame, such for instance as a picture or mirror frame curingits process of construction, and clamping the component parts of the frame together to accurately position them, while the glue, if any is used in assembling them, dries and while nails, screws or other attaching devices when and if used are applied and secured in permanent place, the same being readily adjustable to frames of different sizes.

The object of the invention is to provide a machine accomplishing this result which is compact in form, can be easily and comparatively cheaply built, is quickly and easily adjustable to accommodate different sizes of work, and is not readily liable to get out of order.

The invention consists in means for carrying out the foregoing objects and in many features and details of construction which will be hereafter more fully set forth in the specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings in which like numerals represent like parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a plan view, and

Fig. 2 is a side view of the machine embodying this invention in its preferred form.

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view through an individual clamp device taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional end view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of a part of a clamp ing jaw taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the treadle mechanism taken on the line 66, of Fig. 2.

The mechanism of this invention is applicable to the smooth surface of a work table 10 which is in the particular case here illustrated supported on four legs 12, carried on wheels or casters 14. The table 10 is provided with a circular perforation 16 in the particular case here illustrated at the center of the table about which are arranged a plurality of pivot posts or screws 18. As many such pivot screws should be provided as there are corners or other points of the frame to be engaged to be adjusted. The particular machine of the drawings is shown as working on a rectangular frame having four corners, and therefore four such posts or screws 18 are provided, arranged at approximately 90 degrees apart and for con venience on diagonal lines through the corners of what happens to be a rectangular table.

Lying on the surface of the table 10 and pivoted for horizontal rotation about each one of these screws 18 is a base plate 20 of a corner clamping mechanism. Extending from some convenient point on one side of each of these base plates 20 is a curved lug 22 having therein an elongated curved slot 24 whose curvature centers on the ad j acent screw or pin 18. Through each such slot 24 is a positioning screw device 26 entering the surface of the table in screw threads without novelty and therefore not shown in detail. It is obvious that by loosening the screw mechanism 26 the base plate 20 which it controls may be rotated along the surface of the table about its pivot screw 18 and then looked in changed position by tightening the screw mechanism 26.

Each one of these base plates 20 is provided on its upper surface with some form of a suitable horizontal track-way 28 within which a rectangular screw housing 30 is adapted to slide longitudinally of the base plate 20 toward and from the center of the table. The housing 30 is moved in one direction by a retractile spring 32 attached to the base plate through a lug 34 thereon and to the housing by a transverse pin 36 provided for the purpose. It is moved in the opposite direction by the operators pulling on a chain 38 attached at one end to the housing at 40 and attached at the other end to a plate 42 pivoted at 44 to a lever 46 located near the floor, said lever being pivoted to the frame 12 of the table at 48 and carrying at its other end a foot treadle 50 engageable by the workman manipulating the machine.

Journaled within the housing 30 and lying in what is generally speaking a radial line of the table 10 is a screw 52 secured against endwise movement with reference to the housing by collar 55L and positioning screw 56, both without novelty. Each screw 52 is provided with a hand wheel 58, equipped if desired with a handle 60 by means of which the operator can rotate screw 52 in any direction, as desired. Traveling on track-ways 62 formed on-the top of each screw housing is a block 64 from which depends a lug 66 through which screw 52 is threaded so that rotation of the screw reciprocates the block 66 along the screw housing. Pivoted upon each one of these blocks 64 on a screw 67 provided for the purpose is a clamping jaw plate 68 from which arise a plurality of detachable clamping jaws 70 selectively securable in place eachdetachably securable by a screw 72, adjacent to the point where a corner of the -work'to be clamped rests on the plate 68.

In'the particular case here illustrated these jaws are arranged in pairs adjacent to each corner of the work frame 74 which is to be operated upon by the machine. The reason why two such jaws are placed immediately adjacent to each corner and'on each side of'the frame is so that one jaw may be removed while the nail or screw is put into the frame the other jaw still holding the frame in position.

In the operation of the mechanism assuming that one or more frames 74: of a given size are to be handled by the machine and the operator manipulating it and that the machine has not been adjusted to that size of the frame, the operator releases the treadle 50 and releases screws 26 and takes hold of handles 58 and moves screws 52 so that clamping block plates 68 are far enough away from the center of the table so that the frame 74 can be placed thereon with its center in approximately the center of the table. The operator now takes hold of each base plate 20 swings it about its pivot until its longitudinal center line is coincident with the adjacent corner of the frame to be worked upon as shown in the drawings, and thereupon tightens up screws 26. These screws do not have to be again disturbed so long as frames of that particular given size are being worked upon by the machine. The operator now manipulates the respective handles 58 until the respective sets of clamping jaws 7O closely but loosely approach the corners of the frame. The blocks 68' are swung on the pivots as is necessary to permit the jaws 70 to properly position themselves on the adjacent corners of the frame. 'Having thus adjusted the machine,

it'is ready to go to work on one or more frames one after the other, and in'so doing, all the operator has to do is to successively put the frames to be worked upon in place and press upon the treadle 50,- thus drawing the chains 38 inward and consequently drawing the screw'housing'3O and attached parts toward the center of the table; there- 7 able stop comprising an adjustable screw carried by a lug 82 on a frame work 84: pivoted on a rod 86 forming a part of the supporting portion of the frame, said member 84: being detachably securable in place by aset screw 88. This screw .80 can be used for two purposes; to limit the upward movement of the lever 46 and the consequent movement of the screw housing members under the action of springs 32 and as a positive locking device for the lever 46 and attached parts in given position, this operationoccurring by the operator turning screw 80 down suflicientlyso that lever 46 cannot move at all.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a supporting table, a plurality of base plates, one for each point on the work which is to be clamped, each pivotally mounted for lateral rotation across a different radial line through a common point on the table, a reciprocatable membermounted on each base plate for movement toward and from said common point, a foot operated mechanism under. the con trol of the operator for simultaneously drawing said reciprocatable members toward said common point, a clamping jaw device for the article to be worked upon, carried by each reciprocatable member, and slow motion mechanismf for adjustably positioning each clamping jaw device along the 'reciprocatable member.

2. In mechanism of the class described, a table, a base member pivoted off its center to the table for swinging movement over its top, a reciprocatable member mounted on the base plate for reciprocation toward and from the pivotal point of the base plate, manually operated means for moving said reciprocatable member in one direction, spring means moving it in the opposite direction, a manually operable slow motion screw journaled in the reciprocatable member, and a clamping jaw driven by said screw, reciprocatable on said reciprocatable member in the direction of that members reciprocation', for the purposes set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses. j

OSCAR BERGSTROM.

\Vitnesses:

DWIGHT B. CHEE'VER, ..ANNA RosENT AL. 

